Friday, 18 July 2014

Lombok Indonesia Trip with AirAsia (Day 2)

Day 2 is island hopping and snorkeling day as Lombok is a sea sport and nature lover's haven.During the two hour scenic drive to the jetty, we passed acres upon green acres of padi, corn and tobacco fields.Throughout our road trip, major road works were in progress in many parts of Lombok island. When the roads are completed, there will be greater connectivity within the island and more development will follow.While at the jetty we spotted a small street stall selling these huge BBQ fish. Jason, Hoong and I rushed over like excited little boys to grab photos of this drool worthy sight :D

The fresh fish skewered with bamboo sticks were grilled over wood fire right there at the street side stall.

Too bad we had to get on the boat and did not have the chance to taste the BBQ fish.Setting off on a small wooden boat for a 15 minute ride to Gili Nanggu island. The weather was brilliant and the sea was calm as a lake.The little cherubic boy is Dani, the boatman's son.Cheerful little Dani helping his boatman dad secure the boat with an anchor.Basic simple joys here on tiny Gili Nanggu island. Everyone wanted to have a go on the swing and relive childhood for a few moments.The ladies couldn't wait to jump into the shallow, crystal clear water.

The snorkelers squeezed bread crumbs through the bottle into the shallow water to attract the coral fishes. There were all kinds of colourful fishes, some big, some small, some amble around, while others dart around at lightning speed.

Dani our little boatman have his own fun too :DThese seaside chalets were on Gili Nanggu. We farewelled Gili Nanggu and took off to the next small island, a 10 minute boat hop away.Lunch was on the island in this simple wooden shed. We had fruits of the sea (fish) and fruit from coconut palms.

Some of the freshly caught coral fish that ended up as our lunch :PThe fish on the grill were so fresh that we could still see their bright eyes and vibrant colours.BBQ in progress. The fish were grilled with scales on.

The charcoal grilled fish is nearly done.

I picked a small grouper fish for lunch.The outside of the fish may look black and overcooked, but inside, the white flesh was still tender, juicy and sweet.I love this.

For dessert, we had old coconuts plucked off palms that grew on the island. The juice wasn't as sweet as young coconuts but the flesh was tender and flavourful.When we arrived back at Lombak island, it was low tide.

We found that the beach was littered with colourful starfish of different colours and sizes.

One star and one fish :D

Dinner was at the well appointed Al Hamra restaurant at Jalan Pejanggik in Mataram.Most of the dining rooms have these drapes on the ceiling, simulating an Arabian tent.Our main course was grilled lamb kebab and lamb shank.I liked the slightly gamey lamb flavour but the meat was a little chewy and dry. The kebab was slightly better as there were pieces of fat attached or skewered together with the meat.

Before calling it a night, we popped into Happy Cafe for a drink and to enjoy the live band performing here.Click on photo to view my Day 1 in LombokAcknowledgements: My wonderful trip to Lombok was sponsored by AirAsia and Lombok Tourism.

Thumbs up for Pak Uji, Public Relations Director of Lombok Tourism, the perfect host and representative of his beautiful home island.Throughout our trip across Lombok island, we were in the safe hands of Zaki. I found Zaki responsible, reliable and most importantly, safety conscious. Zaki speaks Bahasa Indonesia and limited English. He is contactable on mobile +62-0-878-6356-4900.

AirAsia flight AK 486 departs at 6:50am from Johor Bahru to Lombok three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.Follow AirAsia Singapore for great deals and travel tips:

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